Nissan Titan
LWB: |length=2004-07: 2008-present SWB: LWB: |width=2004-07: 2008-present: |height=2004-07 King Cab 4WD: 2004-07 Crew Cab 4WD: 2004-07 King Cab 2WD: 2004-07 Crew Cab 2WD: 2008-present King Cab 4WD SWB: King Cab 4WD LWB: 2008-present Crew Cab SWB: Pro-4X King Cab 4x4 SWB: 2008-present LE King Cab 4x4 SWB: 2008-present King Cab 2WD SWB: LE King Cab 2WD SWB: |layout=Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive |weight= |assembly=Canton, Mississippi, USA }} The Nissan Titan introduced in 2004, is a full-size pickup truck produced for the North American market by Nissan. The truck shares the stretched Nissan F-Alpha platform with the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX56 SUVs, and is manufactured in Canton, Mississippi, United States. Market and sales The Titan is not intended to challenge the big 3 "Detroit Trucks" in sales numbers, but rather is meant to be an alternative to them and provide Nissan with some in-roads into the highly competitive truck market. The name "Titan" was chosen to make up for the unsuitable name, "Junior." Consumers in the south central part of the United States, which includes Texas, account for nearly 25% of Titan's sales in the United States. Specifications Models and equipment All Titans come standard with a 32 Valve 5.6L engine, VK56DE, which generates (305 hp early models)317 hp and 385 ft lbft22 N m) of torque. The Titan is available in either rear wheel drive or a shift on the fly four wheel drive system coupled with a 5-speed RE505A automatic transmission. An automatic brake limited slip(ABLS) is available on all Titans. The Titan is available as a King Cab or a Crew Cab with a full size back seat, no regular cab is available. The King Cab features a 6'7" bed, and the Crew Cab features a 5'7" bed, with a 7 foot bed available on SV models. There are four models available including S, SV, Pro-4x, and LE. The S is a base model, SV is a midlevel model with many features, the PRO-4X is Nissans version oriented towards the off road enthusiast, and the top level LE is the high end luxury model only available in a Crew Cab. Features features available on the truck include: * Navigation system * DVD player with screen * Side airbags * Pro-4X Off-road package * Traction Control * Sunroof * Big Tow Package- with transmission temp. gauge * XM Satellite Radio * Leather Split Power Bench Seat * Utili-Track bed rail system * Lockable Bedside Storage Box * Leather- appoined heated captains chairs with console automatic shifter * Rear sonar warning system * Automatic windows down with key fob * Power Adjustable Pedals * Flexible Fuel Vehicle * 168 degree king cab rear door openings * Telescoping tow mirrors Safety The Titan has a 5-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for driver frontal crash, and a 4-star rating for passenger frontal crash. * Head Injury Criterion ** Driver: 488 ** Passenger: 579 * Chest Deceleration (Gs) ** Driver: 43 ** Passenger: 42 * Femur Load l/r1 (lb) ** Driver: 723/532 ** Passenger: 495/212 * Vehicle Dynamic countrol standard on 2010 Models and Up * Side and Front Air Bags standard on 2010 Models and Up * Antilock Brakes standard on all Titans Performance * Braking equipment ** Front: 12.6 in. (320 mm) ventilated discs (upgraded to 13.8 in. in 2008) ** Rear: 12.6 in. (320 mm) discs * Braking performance ** - 0: 190 ft (59 m) ** - 0: 152 ft (42 m) * Acceleration (2007) ** 0 - : 6.7 **1/4 mile (~400 m): 15.3 s at * Top speed: Electronically Limited * Lateral acceleration: 0.69 g Receptions Upon its release, the Titan was praised for its combination of a roomy interior, strong towing capacity, aggressive styling, and innovative features, such as wide opening rear doors in the King Cab, factory sprayed-on bedliner, and a lockable storage compartment outside the bed on the driver's side. It was listed by Edmunds.com as the best full-size truck. The Titan was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award for 2004. Future model There had been some uncertainty about the future of the Titan especially after the fuel prices skyrocketed, at first Nissan was going to base the 2011 Titan off the Dodge Ram but the deal fell through and Nissan has begun work on the next version of the Titan in house which will make an appearance around the 2013-2014 Model years. In an article posted by Autoblog on January 13, 2010, Larry Dominique (Nissan's Vice President of Product Planning) said that Nissan is now focusing on creating the next Titan internally, and indicated that it wouldn't be ready until 2014. In November 2009, Carlos Ghosn (CEO of Nissan) stated that the Titan will survive. "Ghosn went on to reveal that it could be designed and built completely in-house at Nissan or with a new partner, though the specifics haven’t been finalized." Criticism The Titan has drawn criticism for its limited body styles. In contrast to other full-sized pickups, the vehicle does not offer a Regular Cab, and is only available with the King Cab and Crew Cab models. The Titan is only available with the 5.6L V8, and does not have a V6 engine option. 2004 and 2005 Nissan Titan trucks and Nissan Pathfinder Armada SUVs have reported problems with warping of their rotors. Although no recall was ever issued for this problem, Nissan has, with good faith, replaced or repaired the rotors and brakes of those models affected by the problem due to the existence of a repair bulletin. All 2004 models are affected and some 2005 models built before July 27. The problem has since been fixed on subsequent model years. Awards and recognition * Nominated for the 2004 North American Truck of the Year. * Edmunds.com's most significant vehicles from 1966-2006. References External links *Official American site *Official Canadian site *NHTSA crash test results Titan Category:Flexible-fuel vehicles Category:All wheel drive vehicles Category:Rear wheel drive vehicles Category:2000s automobiles Category:2010s automobiles Category:Vehicles introduced in 2004 Category:Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States Category:Trucks built in the United States